By Eric King-
Reform in policing is being blocked by members of the Freemasons, and Women and people from black and minority ethnic communities, the leader of rank-and-file officers have said.
Steve White steps down from his post on Monday after three years as chair of the Police Federation. He told reporters from the Guardian he was concerned about the continued influence of Freemasons.
White’s response comes as the government strongly contemplates taking over the federation following a spate of scandals and controversies.
Critics of the Freemasons say the organization is very secretive and serves the interests of its members over the interests of the public. The Masons claim they uphold the values of public service and public service high morals.”
White told reporters from the Guardian: “What people do in their private lives is a matter for them. When it becomes an issue is when it affects their work. There have been occasions when colleagues of mine have suspected that Freemasons have been an obstacle to reform.
“We need to make sure that people are making decisions for the right reasons and there is a need for future continuing cultural reform in the Fed, which should be reflective of the makeup of policing.”
The late Metropolitan police commissioner, the late Sir Kenneth Newman, opposed the presence of Masons in the police. White insists there are key figures in local Police Federation branches who are FreeMasons.
White said: “It’s about trust and confidence. There are people who feel that being a Freemason and a police officer is not necessarily a good idea. I find it odd that there are pockets of the organization where a significant number of representatives are Freemasons.”
The Masons want police officers to feel comfortable to be members of their organization.
Mike Baker, spokesman for the United Grand Lodge told Guardian reporters there is no reason there should be a clash between officers upholding moral principles and officers being members of the Freemasons.
“Why would there be a clash? It’s the same as saying there would be a clash between anyone in a membership organization and in a public service. “We are parallel organisations, we fit into these organizations and have high moral principles and values.”
Freemasons say their organisation is open to all who have “faith in a supreme being”. He said there were a number of police officers who were Masons and police lodges, such as the Manor of St James, set up for Scotland Yard officers, and Sine Favore, set up in 2010 by Police Federation members.
Some members of the organisation who won’t name told The Eye Of Media.Com that they are have been recruiting people from ethnic minorities, and are therefore not prejudicial against blacks. They have said similar stuff to Guardian reports.
One of those was the Met officer John Tully, who went on to be chair of the federation and, after retirement from policing, is an administrator at the United Grand Lodge of England.
Masons in the police have been accused of covering up for fellow members and favoring them for promotion over more talented, non-Mason officers.
White said: “Some female representatives were concerned about Freemason influence in the Fed. The culture is something that can either discourage or encourage people from the ethnic minorities or women from being part of an organization.”
White said he hoped the new rules would lead to an end to old white men dominating the federation: “The new regulations will mean Freemasons leading to an old boys’ network will be much less likely in the future.”
White came to be chair of the Police Federation after Theresa May went to its 2014 conference and ripped into it. The federation had to decide whether it would adopt a package of 36 reforms, with May, who was then home secretary, threatening that if it failed to do so, it would be taken over by the government and forced to.
The Metropolitan police federation was the only local body in the organisation, which represents rank-and-file officers, not to back a package of reforms.
In 2014 federation members felt the body that represented them was failing them and was distant.
White said the organization had been turned around during his time in office: “We have gone from being almost irrelevant to being the trusted voice of the frontline and the service. I think we had an organisation that shouted and bawled about everything, which became irrelevant to members and risked being wound up.”
White beat the Met officer Will Riches to the chairmanship via a coin toss, after the two candidates won the same number of votes. White, who had served as a firearms officer in Avon and Somerset, came into office promising to end a culture of drinking by federation officials using members’ money.
White said more reform of policing was needed: “There should be future radical reform of the police. The 43 forces need to operate more as a single entity. We have to break down the political barriers caused by PCCs [police and crime commissioners].”
White has written a paper advocating a national body to drive through reforms and impose them on forces if necessary: “We need a new governance board at a national level to drive reforms to police and make sure it happens.”
The National Police Chiefs’ Council’s lead for ethics and integrity, the chief constable Martin Jelley, said: “While we recognize that there has been a concern in the past around serving officers also being Freemasons, it is clear that concern over real or perceived threat to the impartiality of this has decreased. Regular external scrutiny of the police service by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services has not raised this as an issue of concern.
“Strict guidelines require officers to declare anything which might be deemed a conflict of interest in their force’s register of interests. If convincing evidence ever came to light which clearly showed that Freemasonry was adversely affecting the integrity of the police service then we would take appropriate action.”